“F+B On Demand” to Launch in Select Marriott Hotels and Renaissance Hotels in 2016
U.S. Only | As part of Marriott’s ongoing efforts to gain guest preference and loyalty, particularly among the Next Gen traveler, room service has become an area of increased focus. Traditional room service has been a burning platform for many years as it continues lose money in many hotels and also fails to meet guests’ needs. A recent survey of 6,000 Marriott guests showed that while only 14% of guests are ordering room service today, 42% of guests are eating in their room. This creates a clear opportunity for hotels to increase revenue and improve guest satisfaction by evolving their room service offerings.
With this in mind, we will be launching “F+B On Demand – The Evolution of Room Service” to select hotels in 2016. This new program includes three distinct offerings for guests: delivery, to-go, and market options (largest hotels only). These offerings are all focused on giving guests what they want – delicious, convenient, reasonably-priced food without the hassles of traditional room service.
The delivery and to-go options offer thoughtfully packaged food that can be delivered to a guest in 20 minutes or less for a delivery fee of $5, or picked up at the restaurant in the same timeframe for no additional cost. These options enable guests to eat what they want, when – and where – they want.
Program Costs
Implementation for this program is estimated to cost $5,020 per hotel and includes: a dedicated implementation support team; 1-day leadership bootcamp for up to 5 participants; 1.5-day culinary bootcamp for the property chef; communications and training program, including 14 customizable modules; research & development for proprietary packaging exclusively for MH and RH brands; and branded program collateral for on-property marketing. Travel costs for bootcamp attendance are not included.
Implementation Timeline
“F+B On Demand” is currently improving food & beverage offerings in 12 Marriott Hotels and Renaissance Hotels properties. The results in these early adopter hotels have been very positive and as a result, we will be launching the program more broadly in 2016. Seventeen hotels are currently participating in a pilot that kicked off in October with a targeted launch date of February, 2016.
Five waves of Marriott Hotels and Renaissance Hotels properties have been targeted for implementation in 2016 with a focus on those properties with 400 rooms or more. The launch schedule for these hotels is as follows:
- Wave 1 (DC; MD; VA; NC; SC; GA; TN; AL; AR; LA; MS) – January 2016 Kick-Off, June 2016 Launch
- Wave 2 (FL; TX; NM) – April 2016 Kick-Off, August 2016 Launch
- Wave 3 (MN; IA; IL; IN; KS; OH; KY; MI; MO; NE; WI) – June 2016 Kick-Off, October 2016 Launch
- Wave 4 (CA; NV; AK; WA; OR; CO; UT; AZ) – August 2016 Kick-Off, December 2016 Launch
- Wave 5 (MA; NY; NJ; ME; NH; CT; RI; PA) – October 2016 Kick-Off, February 2017 Launch
While participation is optional for franchised properties, all eligible hotels are encouraged to participate in order to create a consistent guest experience.
Resources & Next Steps
Owners and franchisees are invited to attend an informational webinar to learn more about “F+B On Demand,” including details on the process for franchised hotels to opt in. Please click here to register for this webinar, which is scheduled for January 12 at 11 a.m. ET. Franchised Marriott Hotels and Renaissance Hotels GMs will also be invited, via the January 4 Franchise Weekly Update, to join this webinar to learn more about the program.
We appreciate your support in encouraging your Marriott Hotels and Renaissance Hotels properties with 400 or more rooms to join the program with their scheduled 2016 wave.
Hotels with fewer than 400 rooms are asked to contact Christoph Roshardt (for Marriott-managed properties) or Guy Reinbold (for franchised properties) if they would like be considered as an addition to any of the planned 2016 waves.
